Silicon Valley has a long tradition of companies born in garages of suburban homes. Bill Hewlett and David Packard gave birth to this tradition and in fact, to “Silicon Valley” itself when they started what would become Hewlett-Packard back in 1939 in a wooden garage in Palo Alto.

Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs continued that tradition when they started Apple in the garage of Jobs’s parents in Los Altos in 1976. Andrew Frazier, founder of Thyrm LLC, has followed in the tradition of garage-bound inventors in Sunnyvale, California; about a mile north of where Apple’s current headquarters sits.

Unlike other Bay Area garage startups, however, the problems Thyrm is most interested in solving are those that affect people engaged in force of arms professions. Born in Canada to one American and one British parent, US citizen Andrew Frazier grew up in the Portland, Oregon before finding himself designing medical technology devices in the Bay Area.

This “day job” afforded him the income to pursue his various hobbies, one of which is competitive shooting. Throughout a given work week, Frazier practiced his shooting and kept abreast of developments in the tactical industry before and after going to work.

It was during a national IDPA competition that Frazier first encountered a problem he would later focus on developing a technical solution to, low-light shooting. Having practiced the various aspects of shooting handgun, Frazier found himself with a new set of problems when using a flashlight in conjunction with his pistol.

Holding a second device changes how you grip the handgun. Using the flashlight to illuminate your target takes practice and forces you to alter the fundamentals of your shooting habits in order to be effective. His idea came about through thinking about better management of hand-held flashlights in such situations.

An Idea is Born

Invention being born out of necessity, Frazier then set about building a prototype, which he demonstrated to SureFire executives. At that time, the prototype consisted of a combined finger ring and tail-cap, which allowed the shooter to quickly deploy a flashlight, flip it around into a forward-facing position with one’s off-hand, while still maintaining a proper two-hand grip on the handgun.

SureFire showed initial interest, but Frazier said they eventually backed away from the potential joint venture and he ended up training with Chris Costa, showing him the idea. The two ended up working together, refining the design and the end result was the co-branded Costa-Ludus / Thyrm Switchback.

The Switchback consists of the original ring, with an additional clip that allows the flashlight to be easily deployed from a pocket and immediately put into use with a natural two-handed grip. It also allows the user to sweep the surrounding area without adjusting their hold on the flashlight.

The Switchback

The Switchback is distinct from other flashlight rings with its thumb ridge, allowing thumb pressure to activate the light by applying backward pressure to the light against the back of the second finger. This is much the same way one might use their thumb to activate a weapon-mounted light.

There are plenty of videos online that do a much better job of demonstrating this process and technique than can be described in text. There are two versions of the Switchback available now; the Large, which fits most 1” diameter flashlights (like the SureFire PX2 Fury) and the Backup, which fits the SureFire EB1 or EB2 Backup lights.

A Family Enterprise

Andrew’s design process involves developing the plans in CAD software at home, using his garage equipment to develop a prototype and eventually having injection-molded prototypes developed in the Midwest. These prototypes are then shipped back for review, refinement and testing.

Thyrm involves the entire Frazier family. Andrew handles the design work and marketing, his wife, a Silicon Valley teacher and Java developer, develops their website and store infrastructure while also managing remote fulfillment operations and customer service. Long-time friend and best man at the Frazier’s wedding, Scott Noble, provides marketing and sales support for a total in-house head count of three.

Design and testing takes place in Sunnyvale, while production, prototyping and fulfillment takes place in Ohio and Chicago. While the various aspects of the company may be distributed and in some ways “virtual,” all Thyrm products are 100% American-made.

Cell Vault

After the release of the Switchback, Thyrm subsequently turned their design efforts to creating the Cell Vault, a waterproof battery storage device that mounts easily on one column (and two rows) of available MOLLE webbing. This allows you to carry three CR123 batteries, two AA batteries or 4 AAA batteries, while only losing one column of MOLLE on a chest rig, plate carrier or rucksack.

The Cell Vault also clips onto a belt, strap or other spots you may want spare batteries on-hand. It offers ready to swap out fresh batteries for dead batteries, while keeping them protected from the elements.

It doesn’t have to store just batteries though, there are all sorts of survival-oriented uses. From keeping matches, ear plugs, fire starting materiel, fishing line, medicine, small USB storage devices, MicroSD cards or anything else you don’t want getting wet.

I’ve been using the Cell Vault I purchased a few weeks ago for a variety of different purposes. I’ve attached it to one column of MOLLE on a pack to keep spare batteries for a headlamp during night time bike rides and I found it extremely easy to manipulate without even taking the pack off in order to change the batteries out.

If attached in the right-side up position, the latch at the bottom is first unhitched, allowing the tube to fold upward, at which point the batteries come out. If for some reason the latch were to come undone from jostling, the contents of the Cell Vault won’t fall out, unless you’ve managed to invert yourself somehow. However, at that point you’ve probably got bigger problems than grappling for spare batteries.

I’ve also taken to stuffing it with a tube of antibiotics, a few bandaids, a couple of rolled twenty dollar bills and dry matches. I was curious about how rugged it was and though I no longer have access to a 9 ton Ford F-650 that I did with a previous job, I did intentionally run over it with the family car. I found it structurally fine, with only a couple of scuff marks from the incident.

In addition, I dropped it off a third floor balcony with batteries in it and it remained undamaged and better still, remained closed with the batteries still safely enclosed inside. It also works nicely as a belt attachment and is largely unnoticeable when worn in this manner.

Some people may be concerned that storing batteries end to end may result in energy drainage over long periods of time. This aspect hasn’t been specifically tested by either Thrym or myself, but my understanding is because Cell Vault is not made of a conductive material, a complete circuit is not created and the batteries should remain fully charged for their duration in storage. Much like when the batteries are stored inside a flashlight without the tail cap being activated.

However, if this is a concern for you, there are a few options to make sure potential drainage doesn’t happen. The first option would be to alternate the polarity of the batteries in storage, such that positive and negative ends don’t touch each other. The second option would be to take a foam ear plug, cut it into slices and insert those between each battery, creating a barrier that prevents the batteries from contacting each other. I’ve done this with AA batteries to prevent them from sliding around inside the Cell Vault and making noise during jostling or significant up/down movement.

What the Future Holds

We visited Frazier in Sunnyvale to get a look at what he’s already developed and also to get a feel for what might be next for Thyrm. He showed us the prototypes of both the Switchback and the Cell Vault, as well as a prototype for something he’s working on as a future product; low-profile injection-molded magazine carriers.

We didn’t take photographs of those, as they’re still in the development phase, but the obvious advantages of injected-molded solutions over standard nylon pouches or Kydex solutions would be the compactness, durability and better yet, reduced cost of manufacture that would in turn reduce cost to the customer.

Thyrm is also working on developing devices for military and civilian medical first responders, gathering feedback from those in the field in order to try and solve technical problems to help them be more effective in saving lives. Development in this area is something that would allow Frazier to bring together his professional experience designing medical devices with his longstanding interest in shooting, tactics and preparedness.

As sales of the existing products increase and development of new products continues, the Frazier family finds themselves increasingly feeling the pressure of balancing their day jobs with their garage-based business; potentially getting closer to Thyrm needing to expand as a company.

Regardless of what may come, it’s safe to say that Andrew Frazier and Thyrm, LLC are going to keep inventing solutions for problems faced by those who go into harm’s way. From the looks of it, they’re going to keep succeeding in these efforts. That’s not only a prime example of the garage-inventor spirit of Silicon Valley being alive and well, it’s the American Way.

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: Matthew Sharp is a Plank Owner and Life Member at ITS and goes by the username “viator.” He lives in The People’s Republic of Northern California and enjoys long range shooting, carrying heavy objects great distances and fuzzy little puppies.

]]>http://www.itstactical.com/gearcom/lighting/princeton-tec-charge-mpls-helmet-light-torture-test/feed/2FourSevens Preon P1 Flashlight Review and Clicky Tailcap Modificationhttp://www.itstactical.com/gearcom/lighting/foursevens-preon-p1-flashlight-review-and-clicky-tailcap-modification/
http://www.itstactical.com/gearcom/lighting/foursevens-preon-p1-flashlight-review-and-clicky-tailcap-modification/#commentsTue, 03 Jul 2012 19:22:51 +0000http://www.itstactical.com/?p=12327In 2010, I was first introduced to 4Sevens by way of an ITS Tactical article about the Quark Mini AA(2).... View Article

In 2010, I was first introduced to 4Sevens by way of an ITS Tactical article about the Quark Mini AA(2). I picked one up right away and was amazed by the performance. It was my first real introduction to modern LED flashlights and I was blown away at how much light was coming from such a small package.

I began to find out how useful a small, pocketable flashlight could be and started to EDC the flashlight. Unfortunately, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. Pretty soon, I started to wonder what kind of performance I could get out of an even smaller form factor. If I had been ignorant of the current generation of LED lights for this long, who knew what else I was missing out on?

I wanted something with a good pocket clip as I despise bulky keyrings filled with gadgets and gizmos (there are only 2 keys and a clip on my current keyring). I decided on the 4Sevens Preon P1 and it turned out to be exactly what I was hoping for. The Quark Mini AA(2) is definitely not a huge flashlight, but it dwarfed the Preon P1. By moving to the P1, my EDC light became 2 inches shorter, 21% thinner, and more than 50% lighter. These are noticeable, real-world differences and I loved it.

4Sevens Preon P1

There are smaller AAA lights, but the 4Sevens Preon P1 is still a miniscule light. According to 4Sevens, it weights .6 ounces. When I place a AAA battery in one hand and the empty Preon P1 in the other, I can’t decide which is lighter. In real life, when I clip it in my pocket I don’t feel it or think about it. That’s a high compliment for an EDC light.

But what did I lose in performance? The Quark Mini AA(2) puts out 180 lumens maximum vs. the Preon P1’s 70 lumens maximum. I can honestly say that I have never missed those lumens. This light isn’t a weapon light, a camping light, or a high-performance light. This is a small and light, always-with-you EDC light. I have other, much more powerful lights close at hand in my EDC bag and in my vehicle, but they are almost never used.

Most people agree that, depending on your eyes, 200%-300% increase in lumens (tripling or quadrupling) is necessary before the light appears to be twice as bright. That means that the 70 lumen light sounds much dimmer than it actually is. A 70 lumen light will appear to be ~1/2 of the brightness of a 250 lumen light. I say all that so that you don’t immediately dismiss the light after seeing the max lumen count. This light handles more than 99% of the tasks I encounter that require a flashlight.

Preon Clicky Cap Upgrade

The 4Sevens Preon P1 is not a tactical light and is not intended for stunning people with sudden, blinding light. The light is activated by twisting/tightening the head. It’s difficult to do this with one hand and not recommended for a “tactical” situation. Also, to get to the highest output, you have to cycle through the two lower settings first. In other words, you cannot quickly and easily turn on the highest light output.

To help this, I purchased the optional clicky tailcap for the Preon to check it out. For the clicky tailcap, you keep the head tightened all the way and use the tailcap to activate the light and switch through modes. Unfortunately, I had a number of issues with the factory tailcap sticking, not working, or accidentally discharging. I really tried to work with it, but my frustrations eventually led me back to using the regular Preon twist interface.

I love the speed and access that a good clicky tailcap can provide, but I had pretty much given up on it until I read about a small machine shop in CA that was doing modifications to the tailcap. A flashlight enthusiast was having the same problems that I was having with the factory clicky tailcap, only he decided to do something about it. He reached out to a friend with a machine shop that specialized in machining bike parts. He asked his friend to modify the clicky mechanism so that the button/area that requires pressure is recessed and is less susceptable to accidental discharges.

Zodiac Engineering Modification

Ken from Zodiac Engineering(info@zodiaceng.com) removed the metal button that extends from the rear of the mechanism and machined down the button casing to make the rubber boot easier to access.

To get a bit of a preview of the mod, you can easily unscrew the clicky tailcap mechanism and remove the metal button yourself. Unfortunately, only removing the button/boot cover makes the clicky very difficult to access. Machining for access is almost a necessity.

Ken did a great job on the modification ($16-20 + return shipping). I had no more sticking issues or accidental discharges. Personally, I don’t do much tailstanding, but the modification does widen the contact/resting surface (previously the small, inner button, now the outer edge of the mechanism) and shorten the flashlight a little. Both characteristics make the light more stable during tailstanding. My only problem was that the button was so recessed it was a little bit difficult to depress. Just a little bit.

At this point, I was just nitpicking, but why not go for broke and make it perfect. I told them I wanted them to make three crenelations around the tailcap to make it easier for the thumb to get in and access the rubber book. This gives me the best of both worlds. The low spots in the crenelations provide easier access to the switch while the high areas continue to protect from accidental discharges. They did a fantastic job and in my humble opinion it is now perfect. Stable tailstanding, quick and easy access, reliability, and no accidental discharges. The crenelations actually make tailstanding easier on uneven surfaces.

Some have expressed concerns about the removed metal cap/button compromising the water-tight seal, but I have been carrying this setup in monsoon rains and had no issues whatsoever. I realize that this is just anecdotal evidence, but it appears that the two exterior portions of the clicky mechanism still compress the edges of the rubber boot to create a good seal.

The pictures may make it look bulky, but the clicky tailcap actually only adds ~10% extra length (Preon P1).

Regular static tailcap – 76mm

With modified clicky tailcap – 83.5mm

Please note that the clicky mechanism supplied by 4Sevens is a reverse clicky. This means that you must fully depress, then release the switch before the light comes on. Once the light is on, I find it easy to move through the different modes by simply tapping the button lightly. Changing modes does not require full depression and activation of the clicky mechanism. If you want to, you can partially press down the button to momentarily turn off the light with out fully depressing the clicky. I don’t know how useful this is to most people, but I have used it in the past when I need a quick second without light.

Preon P1 Features and Modes of Operation

The software/mode interface is very simple. Activating the tail switch or twisting and untwisting the head cycles you through the following levels: Low -> Medium -> High -> Low -> Medium -> High -> Special Outputs You can continue to cycle through the special outputs in the following sequence: Strobe -> S.O.S. -> Beacon (high) -> Beacon (low) With just a little practice, the mode switching becomes second nature.

The clip is extremely sturdy. The clip attaches via loop through which the end cap screws into the main body

There is no danger of of the pocket clip slipping off. It came a bit tight for my liking, but it was easily adjusted with a little pulling and I haven’t had to mess with it since. If you do over-loosen the clip, you can easily remove the entire clip and bend it back to a very tight position again.

When using the plain (non-clicky) tailcap, the end of the clip is extremely close to the base of the light and allows a very deep pocket carry position. The modified clicky tailcap adds ~7.5mm above the clip. Even if I momentarily stand on my head or jump, the resistance of the deep pocket carry helps hold it in.

The shorter Preon P1 stays in my pocket much better than the Preon P2. I think that the deeper tip of the longer light received more upward pressure when sitting down or moving around (just my opinion).

The plain tailcap of the flashlight is flat and tailstands easily, the factory clicky tailcap is less stable, and the modified clicky is equivalent to the plain tailcap. I have not been able to find a great diffuser for lantern use, but I hear that the white crazy glue sticks work well. After they are emptied!

The beam has a spot portion where the brightest light is about 2.5” wide when the light is 6” away. The flood area is ~10” wide. I’m no expert, so I will refer you to this page where you will find beam shot photo comparisons: Candlepowerforums.com 4Sevens Preon P1 Beamshots

When it comes to the battery, it’s a snug fit without being tight. When I shake the light next to my ear, there is no audible or felt battery movement inside the body. The endcap has a traditional conductor spring for tension and the head of the flashlight has no spring. The positive terminal of the battery directly contacts the circuitboard in the head of the light. Personally, I have never used anything but rechargeables in my Preons and I prefer Eneloop AAAs.

Battery life will vary with different batteries, but 4Sevens claims don’t seem far fetched when compared to my usage with my Samsung Eneloop batteries:

Low: 1.8 OTF Lumens, 23 hours

Medium: 8.5 OTF Lumens, 6 hours

High: 70 OTF Lumens, 0.8 hours

Strobe 1.6 hours

SOS 2.4 hours

Beacon (Hi) 8 hours

Beacon (Lo) 40 hours

I did not do my own runtime tests, but if you are into that stuff, check out this review: 4Sevens Preon Runtime Tests The charts and graphs can get pretty nerdy, but it’s good information.

Customization and Modifications

If that isn’t enough, you can have someone like Pete Gray of Gray Precision do some custom anodizing for you:

Aside from customization, the spare parts mean that it is easy to swap our broke parts if necessary. Personally, I have had to send back a Preon for repair and I can say that the return process was very smooth. They gave me no trouble and had no problem dealing with the fact that I was shipping from and to Nepal. There are some stand-up people working in the service department of 4Sevens.

Despite my assurances that 70 lumens will be plenty, I am sure that many of you are wishing there was a way to get more lumens out of this light. There are several ways.

Move to Preon 2 – Double the amount of batteries and you will double your lumen count. It is factory recommended and all you need is a $9 battery tube to lengthen the light.

Use a 10440 Li-ion cell – This is most definitely not factory recommended and if used in a Preon 2, will most definitely ruin your light. However, there are numerous reports of successful long-term use of a single 10440 cell in the Preon 1 with reported output in the range of 200-300 lumens.(Watch this) Quick heat build-up is the most common concern. Before trying this, please do your own research and be aware of the potential dangers. This will void warranty.

Closing Thoughts

After more than a year-and-a-half of use, I can say without reservation that this is a rugged light! This flashlight has handled some hard use. This light has not been babied.

Our home has marble floors that have caressed the Preon 1 on numerous occasions. Once it fell on stone patio tiles from the second story balcony when my son decided to toss it over the edge. I have carried and used it on numerous occasions during our monsoon season in heavy rain that completely soaked completely through all my clothes.

My son has also tested it by submerging it in water on occasion. The 4Sevens Preon P1 light just keeps on working!

Because of where I live, my EDC light probably sees more use than most. We have scheduled and unscheduled extended power outages for most of the year and the winter dry season leaves us with only ~4 hours of power per day. This means that when stores, restaurants, and other public establishments lose power, I need a reliable, always-with-me light to find my fork, keep from tripping down the dark stairs, or even just keep my 2 year-old son from getting scared. I don’t leave home without my 4Sevens Preon.

It’s close, but not quite a perfect light. Here are a few small changes I hope for in a future iteration:

Knurling — The head can be turned with wet hands, but it would be much easier with just a little bit of texturing. The protruding clip is enough to keep the body secure during the twisting motion. On the other hand, the lack of knurling helps to keep you from tearing up the edge of your pocket with lots of use.

Clicky Tailcap — I would love to see the factory rework their clicky tailcaps into something similar to the modified version so that we can purchase an stock light and be done with it.

More Lumens — The light from this flashlight is more than adequate, but with new light technology and emitters, I hope we will see a few more lumens in future editions. Even if I have to change my batteries a little more often.

Rob Robideau is a husband and father, preacher, self-defense web show host, pilot, writer and more. He currently resides in an upscale village south of Kathmandu in the corrupt and not-so-stable country of Nepal. He has flown bush planes in Alaska, jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, skied the Andes, never owned a television, broken more bones than he can remember, graduated from Providence Baptist College and currently drives a scooter. He is the author of Tactical Bible Stories – Personal Security Tips from the Bible and Practical Guide to Everyday Carry Gear.

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: I’m excited to announce a new book from my good friend Rob Robideau of the Personal Armament Network. Rob has been a contributor here at ITS for some time and recently released The Practical Guide To Everyday Carry Gear, which includes information from an interview I did with him on emergency medical gear.

What he’s included in this article today is a conversation he had with Dave Spaulding regarding Defensive light use. I’d encourage everyone to check out The Practical Guide to Everyday Carry Gear for an incredible collection of interviews from the likes of Michael Janich, Massad Ayoob and even our friends Doc and Cruz from RSKTKR Consulting. Another great thing about this book is that 50% of all profits are donated to charities, including Knife Rights.

Rob: I want get your thoughts and your opinion on the importance of lights.

Dave:Keith Jones told you that he was a product of his yesterdays and I like to say that I’m a product of my life experience. I worked a lot of years on patrol. I spent time in narcotics. We ran a drug task force and I spent a lot of time working nights and doing a lot of stuff like entry work and building searches. I’ve searched for my share of bad guys in the dark and did pretty well with it. I never got shot and we seemed to apprehend all the people we were looking for, but it just seems like, toward the end of my career and since I’ve retired, there seems to be a whole new wave of training in reduced light capabilities. I have been to some of these classes put on by the major manufacturers of lights and some private institutions and I guess I just don’t see where some of the tactics and techniques that are currently popular have jived with my personal experiences.

Some of the things that I’ve learned while I was strobing and darting and rolling and diving across doors and into rooms, in recent years were overly complicated compared to what I experienced in my police career.

Rob: I don’t have any low light flashlight training and I’m sure that it’s very different, the flashlight training that a police officer receives versus what the average civilian on the street needs or wants. The average person that’s walking down the street looking to protect themselves and their family, is not going to be chasing –if you are, you’ve got serious issues– criminals through buildings, rooting people out, etc. I know we do have police officers listening/reading, but the average civilian is not going to be in need of those sort of tactics, right?

Dave: No. You need to understand that there are a lot of armed citizens out there. Responsible armed citizens. I’m not trying to demean them in any way, but there seems to be a certain trend among armed citizens and police officers alike to try to emulate the Special Forces community and the things they see with the Navy SEALs, Green Berets, Delta Force, or even some of the combat contractors like Blackwater or Triple Canopy, yet much of the stuff that those special mission units do, doesn’t translate well to what the armed citizen or the law enforcement officer is going to do. It’s overly complex. It’s reliant on special gear. That kind of stuff is just not going to come into play if you’re trying to search your home in the middle of the night for an armed intruder, or even for a police officer that may be looking for a burglar.

Where I have differed with some of the better known reduced-light trainers and schools that are sponsored by the manufacturers is in how to use the light. I realized early on that the human eye worked a whole lot better in daylight or artificial light than it did in darkness or inconsistent light. Darkness is not the real threat. It’s inconsistent light. I’ll give you an example. You’re walking behind a building or down an alley and there’s a floodlight, a security light above the door to this business. Across from it is a dumpster and behind that dumpster is a dark shadow with dark pockets. You may be able to see a person standing over there, but you can’t see what they got in their hand because the hand is in the shadow. Think about when you’re walking across the parking lot at the shopping mall or out and about or walking through your neighborhood. It’s not that it’s dark. The problem is that the light is inconsistent.

Your eyes can adjust to darkness or they can adjust to light, but they really can’t do either one well. We all realize they do light much better, so we have white light sources, or flashlights as they’re commonly known, to help light up those dark pockets. I’m sure there’s going to be some experts or authorities out there that are going to tell me I’m all wet, but you know what? For 30 years it worked real well for me: If I had to go into someplace dark, I’d flip on the lights!

“Wait a minute, Dave, you’re giving up your advantage of being in the dark.” What advantage do I have by being in the dark? I found out pretty early in my law enforcement career that eighty-plus percent of the time, if you could hook your arm around the door-frame and wave upward, you’re probably going to hit the light switches in that particular room. When we’d be going through businesses, warehouses, or homes looking for burglars, robbers, or whatever the case may be, you could hook your arm around there, flip it up, and you would light up the rooms and your eyes could see really, really well. I wasn’t trying to rely on this little tiny flashlight beam, which wasn’t near as good as they are now.

We found that if we did have a suspect in a business or a locale of some sort, we could flip on the lights and actually chase him back where we wanted him to be, because they would seek the darkness. They felt more secure in the darkness because they were criminals. We would flip on the lights and basically we could chase them back into the room where we wanted them to be anyway so we could take them into custody. That type of thought is totally contrary to what is being taught now in many of the schools.

Rob: People may say that you lose the advantage, but you might say that it levels the playing field. Even initially, you have the control of when that light comes on and what you’re ready for at that point.

Dave: “Dave, you’re standing in the darkness and you have the ability to use that light in their face.” That’s all well and good if you know where they’re standing, but how are you going to put the light in their face if you don’t know where they’re standing? By flipping on the lights in the room, I’m now in the dark because the darkness is behind me instead of the light being behind me outlining me. If I flip on the lights in that room, especially if it’s a large area like a warehouse or a large office space, now I can use my eyes the way God intended them to be used: In the light! They’re not designed to be used in the dark. We’re not very good in the dark.

Rob: It’s not even necessarily the darkness or the light, but the transitional period is where it’s the worst. I remember when I was a kid my dad used to talk about the rods and the cones.

Dave: Absolutely, and everybody realizes it. This is not rocket science. You adjust to the darkness pretty slowly. It can take 20 to 40 minutes, depending on your age, whether you smoke, and a number of other factors, but your eyes adjust to the light pretty quick. You may blink a little bit, but you see in the light pretty fast. I would do everything I could to make it bright whenever I could. At traffic stops as cops, we have floodlights, takedown lights and the light bar to light up the area, because we just work better in the light.

You’ve got to remember that that a flashlight, when you light it up, illuminates where you are located. The bad guy realizes that that flashlight has to be attached to a person in some way. If you were a bad guy hiding in the dark and somebody comes in and they start strobing, where do you think they’re going to direct their fire if they decide to shoot at you?

Rob: Hmmmm… I wonder?

Dave: They say overwhelm them with the light and they’ve got these lights that do all this strobing stuff. If you’ve ever been behind some of these lights, when they strobe they can almost overwhelm you. It’s like being in a disco in the 1970s. This is another case where we’re training for our rules, the good guys rules. We won’t shoot at anything if we don’t know what it is. The bad guy is going to see us coming in there with that dynamic $300 strobing light trying to strobe the room. All they’re going to do is take their 15 round 9mm pistol and light up the area, just shooting in all kinds of directions. I don’t want to cast dispersions on these various training programs, but I think many of these things are more tacti-cool then practical in that they’re overly complicated and too reliant on gizmos.

Rob: So in your opinion, the best tactic concerning low lights, or lighting in general, is to add as much light as possible because your eyes are going to adjust to that more quickly.

Dave: Yeah, light it up. That’s the way your eyes work and only use the flashlight when you truly need to.

Rob: Nowadays also, these flashlights can literally disorient and temporarily blind, even in the light.

Dave: This is not a new thing. We even knew back in the ‘70s when we had the Kell lights and the B-lights and the flashlights that were basically the size of a tailpipe, that if you flashed the light in someone’s eyes that it would make them blink. It would make them turn their head. We also realized that it wasn’t a very long process before they could orient themselves and they could respond to it. That whole thing about putting a light in their eyes is nothing new, but remember it’s just a momentary technique. It’s something to disorient them so you can do something else. The light in their eyes in itself is not going to overwhelm them to the point where they’re going to quit.

Rob: Say someone is out on the street at night walking with their family back from dinner. The bad guy steps out of the shadows. He’s in full light. This person has a light maybe right next to their magazines, and they have their gun. What are they going to be doing with the flashlight? They are threatened. In that situation they’re not going to be going for the flashlight first.

Dave: If they’re walking with their family and they’re doing a late night stroll on a nice summer evening, I know in my particular case and probably in that of most of the people I know, the flashlight is probably going to be in their off hand, and not so much because they’re concerned about attack. They just want to be able to use the light for those times when they truly can’t see. If it’s dark, or if they hear a growl off to the side, they can use the light to see what’s over in the dark spot.

If that person does pop out, they can bring that light up and they can flash it in their eyes, but now they’ve only got a couple seconds. They’ve got to come up with another plan, because I don’t care how many lumens that light is, when you put it in their eye, they’re not going to drop down grabbing their eye sockets, screaming in agony. They’re going to turn their head! They’re going to blink, but then they’re going to do something. So you’ve got two, three, or five seconds to come up with some kind of a contingency plan. The light is allowing you to get ahead of their response.

You had better be prepared to take some sort of action. If nothing else, relocate yourself from where you were at the moment you put the light in their eye so that when they do come back looking for you, you’re someplace else. Now you’ve added a little bit more reaction time to it, but be prepared to confront them, strike them, shoot them, or whatever may be appropriate or reasonable based on the circumstances at hand. The flashlight in itself is a disorientation tool. It’s not really a weapon in the sense that it can incapacitate or disable.

Rob: When you’re under duress or threatened, it is only a temporary tool, but when you have it out in advance, it can also aid your awareness and keep people away that realize you’re aware and ready for them.

Dave: Exactly.

Rob: I don’t claim to get in the mind of an irrational attacker, but if it were me hiding in the shadows, I would say that the person who is keeping an eye out where they’re walking and using a flashlight is not exactly the best target.

Dave: The flashlight that’s in your hand is like the gun that’s in your hand. It’s prepared to be used. It’s ready. You are prepared to act with that implement. If it’s in your pocket or in your pouch or whatever the case may be, now you have to access it, or basically draw it, just like you would your firearm. The great thing, though, about a flashlight versus a firearm is that having a flashlight in your hand amongst society at large is not alarming. People don’t think nothing of it. “He’s got a flashlight in his hand, so what?”

Rob: It’s socially acceptable.

Dave: You can keep a flashlight in your hand most any time and nobody is going to get worked up about it. If they did say “Hey, what’s that in your hand?” “It’s a flashlight. I just bought this thing, I think it’s kind of neat.” Nobody would think anything of it. If you needed it, pow! You hit that tail cap, you pop them in the eyes with it, and then you change position, prepare to act, or get ahead of their response loop and do various things, but again, you have to have it in your hand. You have to have preprogrammed what you’re going to do if this happens. Then, we get all back to that whole thing about mindset again.

Somehow we always come back to mindset, don’t we?

Rob: Yes we do, that and awareness. When we were talking with Keith, he was talking about the attackers’ triad, and one of the legs of their triad was stealth.

Dave: Right.

Rob: You can take that stealth away from them by using the flashlight where you might not even need to. Maybe you’re walking along at night and you just kind of flash the shadows. You have it out and you’re using it. Maybe you’re pointing it at the ground in front of you. Not flashing people in the face as you walk by, but just using it, showing that it’s there. It takes away that attacker’s stealth. He realizes that he’s not going to be able to get close without giving himself away.

Dave: Every attacker has some kind of a plan in his head. It may not be anything very formal. It may be very informal. It may not even be very structured, but he’s got something in his head that he is going to do and anything you can do to disrupt that plan, to interrupt his thought processes, basically intercede his ability to act, is going to give you an advantage. If you can do something that he does not expect, you’re going to be better prepared to respond to a threat. It’s all about doing the unexpected.

Rob: We’ve talked a little bit about overall general doctrine in the use of lighting. I personally think it’s best used as something that will keep attackers away, at least in the hands of civilians. We know that we want as much light as possible. That makes it easier. I’m sure a lot of people want to know your opinions or your thoughts on firearm-mounted lights?

Dave: They are a supplement to a handheld light. I know in the law enforcement community and with some of the armed citizens there’s that desire to have the light on your gun. It is a great tool in the fact that it allows you to keep both of your hands on the pistol or revolver (there are some revolvers with rail systems on them now). It allows you to keep both of your hands on the gun to shoot. However, you’ve got to remember that any place you point that weapon-mounted light, you are also pointing the muzzle of that gun and you don’t point the muzzle at anything you’re not willing to shoot, kill, or destroy.

That being the case, the handheld light can be pointed in directions that the weapon-mounted light cannot be. So the weapon-mounted light, to me, is the same as it was when we put them on shotguns, submachine guns and now carbines. Is it is a supplement to a handheld light. You can do so much more with a handheld light. There are things you can do with the handheld light that you can’t do with the weapon-mounted light. However, the weapon-mounted light has the advantage that it allows you to place both of your hands on the gun. You can shoot with the handheld light, but I don’t care which of the various positions you’re using, you’re still shooting with one hand, because the support hand is going to be occupied by the flashlight in some fashion.

Rob: I have found that lights mounted on guns, by the way, do cover far more area then just the area that the muzzle covers. I don’t know if I’d necessarily want to use that to search for something…

Dave: You can splash, but you still got to point the muzzle in that direction, even with the splash of the light. If you’re going down your hallway and you catch something out of the corner of your eye with that light, what do you think you’re going to do with it?

Rob: Jerk it over that way.

Dave: You’re going to point it in that direction and it may be your kid with a glass of water in their hand or it may be a burglar. So the idea behind the handheld light is that you can divide and conquer.

Rob: Is it worth having to get special holsters and having to deal with having the flashlight on the firearm just for the limited situations where it’s very useful?

Dave: I think a weapon-mounted light on a home protection pistol is probably a great idea. For the handgun that you’ve got in the dresser drawer next to your bed, or whatever the case may be. You may be opening doors or pushing family members out of the way and need the free hand. Let’s face it, in conflict, are there going to be times that you’re going to be willing to point the muzzle of your gun out into the unknown to illuminate it? Yeah, let’s be realistic. If we look at the rules of gun safety you should never do that, but in armed conflict there may be times when you’re willing to point that pistol and that light at things that you don’t know 100% whether it’s a threat or not.

I don’t want to say never, but I think as a general rule, the handheld light gives you more options versus the weapon-mounted light. But again, I’ll be the first to tell you that the weapon-mounted light, especially on long guns, is a good supplement to a handheld light.

Rob: When you visualize these situations, you think in advance what it might be like, what you might be doing. There are so many situations, and you almost have to make it an odds game. What is most likely to happen? What situation am I most likely to encounter? Will this be a hindrance or will it be a help? Is it worth the extra complication or not? There are a number of questions that each of you have to consider for yourself. It depends on where you live, where you’d be using that light, or a whole slew of different deciders. You have to figure out whether or not it’s going to be worth it to you. You think not a concealed gun, but you would want it on a home defense handgun, rifle, or shotgun? Something where you think it would be a great supplement to a regular handheld light?

Dave: Sure. On a weapon where it would probably stay in place all the time. A police officer’s service pistol, a home protection gun, a SWAT handgun. Those kinds of things. It’s probably not a good idea to be taking it on and off because you don’t know when you’re going to need it. Put it on a gun where it’s probably going to stay. Like you said, war game the situations. You’re thinking ahead, which is great. What are my likelihoods for this particular weapon? What do I intend to use it for? If it’s one of those situations where the light is probably going to stay on the gun all of the time, then it’s probably a good accessory. If it’s a situation where the thing’s going to be coming off and on, then it’s probably not a good accessory. The handheld light would be better mate for that particular weapon.

Rob: I know this doesn’t necessarily relate to flashlights, but if you have not had the opportunity, make sure you go out and shoot in a low light situation. Make sure it’s a controlled situation, but you really should at least see what it’s like. See what your sights look like in that sort of situation. Make sure that the lighting system that you have, and its intensity on different colors, is not going to wash out or make your sighting system more difficult. If it’s something that you think you will have in your home for at night, make sure that you set it up accordingly. It doesn’t have to be night or day, but make sure that it’s something that will work in that night situation with ultra-bright white or yellow lights on the target. The way you find that out is by going out and trying it.

Dave: Right, and I would caution our readers, don’t just go to your gun club’s indoor range, flip off the lights, put a target down there, and shoot. That’s not reality. You need to go someplace where maybe you could throw a road flare over here, and you’ve got a light back behind you, and maybe a set of headlights from your car are pointed in that direction, because that’s reality. It’s not that it’s consistently light or consistently dark, it’s the inconsistency of the light that will cause you the greatest problem because you cannot adjust to both. Your eyes will see better where it’s light, and you’ll use the white light in those pockets where it’s dark. That’s where the white light comes in. That’s where it’s essential.

Dave: Yeah. That is if you’re looking at the law enforcement statistics. Understand that these are taken from the law enforcement officers killed statistics. That means the officer lost. In those statistics, three out of four happened in low or inconsistent light, and at least 45% of the time there’s more than one suspect involved. I don’t think that it would be too much of a stretch for the armed citizen who is facing criminal attack, because let’s be honest. Criminals are plying their trade at a time when they think they can best get away with it. Darkness makes them less liable to get caught, so that’s when they’re going to be out. They’re going to feel more comfortable in the dark.

The armed citizen or the law enforcement officer has to prepare themselves so that they don’t feel uncomfortable in the dark. That takes some adjustment both in mind and in personal preparation, but it can be done. I don’t fear the dark too much. I spent a lot of my police career on night shifts so that doesn’t bother me too much anymore. By the same token, I keep my tactics, I keep my tools for reduced or inconsistent light applications pretty simple.

Rob: What you mentioned about multiple attackers is another case for having multiple lights available.

Dave: Yep, because you could be engaging this person and looking the light in another direction. I don’t know who first said it, but I know Clint Smith from Thunder Ranch popularized it when he said that one is none and two is one. What he’s talking about is the ability for a tool to fail you when you most need it. Having two of something, is a good idea. It’s like a police officer that has a service pistol but he has a back-up gun. Well, he may have a weapon-mounted light but he also has a handheld light. Having two of something that is considered critical equipment is probably a good idea. If one fails, and of course Murphy is alive and well and he does have a sense of humor, you’ll have something to fall back on during a critical incident.

Rob: Even barring failure, just thinking of the fact that if you have one that is keeping someone else under control or keeping them at bay or illuminating something, and there’s someone else running around, you’re not going to want to leave the person you are holding in the dark, give them free rein, basically and go and find this other person. So that light is out of commission essentially.

Dave: I hope I never find myself in a situation where I’m holding a person at bay with my weapon-mounted light and using my handheld light in my off hand, trying to search in a different direction.

Rob: That’s where you should be running?

Dave: Think about what’s being required of you to divide your attention that way. Can’t say it won’t happen, but boy, talk about a nightmare scenario. That’s probably it.

Rob: Is there anything else we need to cover here, talking about low light and talking about flashlights?

Dave: It’s like anything else. We’re not going to hit too much on equipment because equipment doesn’t win the fight, but having good equipment is worth it. Have a good flashlight, have one that you can rely on. I’m not too much for flashlights where the tail caps do multiple things. Momentary on or off with the press switch, twist the tail cap for constant on. Two different functions for two different things. It’s pretty simple, straight forward.

I don’t like the things where I’ve got to push in and turn one thing to get to do this, turn two positions to get it to do that. You’re not going to do that under stress. So get yourself a good light that’s simple to use. Get a lot of lumens. How many lumens do you need? I think if you’ve 70-plus lumens you’re probably good. Is 100 or 200 better? Maybe, but by the same token you’ve got to remember, if you’ve got a 200 lumen light and you go into a bedroom that’s maybe 20 by 20 and it’s got white walls, can that 200 lumens overwhelm you? You bet. Keep in mind what you’re trying to accomplish.

I tend to keep a pretty compact light that’s got 100 lumens or so. It’s an LED so if I drop it, it’s not going to pop a bulb. I’ve done that several times with the old xenon bulbs. I can remember one time I was trying to work my way up into a crawl space looking for a narcotics suspect. I can’t remember if I smacked the light on the edge of something, but I dropped it. It hit the floor below me and it popped the bulb, so now I didn’t have a light. Any element of surprise I may have had in this endeavor was gone. I like having the LEDs because they’re pretty rough and tumble. They take a lot of abuse and now they’re so bright with these Cree LEDs. I keep them pretty simple. I try to keep them bright, easy to use, easy to carry. Simple is good.

Rob: I don’t know if this is something that everyone does, but I’m a cheapo guy and I have a hard time replacing batteries when they may not be out all the way, but I finally forced myself to. I marked on the calendar so that every two months I remember to change out all the batteries in all my red dot sights and in my weapon-mounted and defensive use flashlights, to make sure that they’re topped off and ready to go. It doesn’t have to be two months. For some people you may say, “Wow, that’s way too long.” Some people may set it for three months. Whatever it is, make sure that you’re at least checking them and making sure you have batteries that are going to work.

Dave: Sure and especially on long guns, it’s very easy to keep a spare set of batteries on the gun, in the grip of the AR, or whatever the case may be. For the handgun, you keep a spare set of batteries where you store your handgun with a weapon-light. I have a light mounted on the wall in my truck, so I have a spare set of batteries in the truck there. I think the important thing is that you don’t just ignore it, that you monitor the life of your battery. With these lithium batteries, they’re a bit expensive but they’ve got a shelf life of like 10 years. Now we have lithium AA batteries and batteries are just better than they’ve ever been. I hear all this stuff, you don’t want to trust batteries, but that’s bunk.

Rob: Trust, but verify.

Dave: The pacemaker that’s in our grandfather’s chest is run off a battery. The car that we go out and get into every morning, whether it’s hot or cold, runs on a battery. You can depend on batteries. You just want to be prepared for their failure and their replacement, but to say don’t trust anything with batteries. You have to. We do it every day, all day long, all the time.

Rob: If you have kids also, don’t let your kids play around with those flashlights either and run down the batteries.

Dave: No, no. Give them the little cheapie flashlight that’s got Elmo or something on it. Let them run around with that. Don’t let them fool around with your serious equipment. I know they’re going to want to, but don’t let them.

Rob: Yeah. I remember as a kid I’d always take my dad’s military gear and try to play with that. You know the old angle-head flashlights, the military ones?

Dave: Yeah, right.

Rob: We used to take those, change out all the colored filters, and when my dad would get ready to go out for military drills and he’d have to dig around and find those things, and figure out if they were working, where the different covers were, etc. Keep them out of the hands of your kids, as much as they’ll want to play with them.

Dave: Sure. Just don’t bring the flashlight to their attention. Just put them away and don’t let them see you with them, and then they won’t get curious. This is lifesaving equipment. It’s not something to let them fool around with.

Rob: You can keep your kids away from the guns. You can do the same thing with a flashlight that’s meant to be used in nearly the same capacity.

Dave: Absolutely, and if they do by some chance see you with your flashlight, or whatever the case may be, just be prepared to give them a little cheapie inexpensive flashlight. They’re not going to know any difference. They just know that daddy had something pretty cool and they want to play with it. Well, here. Hand them one. They’ll be happy. This is from personal experience with having three kids.

Rob: I talked to a holster maker several weeks ago and he said that somebody, a major name in our industry/sector, had a holster set made. It was a matching set for flashlight, mags, and the gun also, but he also had one made in the exact same color, exact same style, everything, for his kid. It was to hit a little toy gun so that he could have the same set-up that his daddy had.

Dave: That sounds like a pretty good dad. He was thinking ahead, and he took care of the little guy. Yeah, that’s a pretty good solution.

Rob: Well, I guess that’s a little off the subject, but I think that we covered most of what we wanted to. Can you think of anything else that we left out here?

Dave: No. Really we’ve just kind of got started in it. Some of your listeners out there may disagree with me, because all of this reduced light and owning the night training is all in vogue right now. They may disagree. They may think that some of the fancier techniques are the way to go, and that’s certainly their choice. I’m talking on the basis of my experience of looking for honest-to-God real bad guys in the dark. Keep it simple. Use your eyes the way they’re intended. If you can make it light, make it light, and use the flashlight only when you have to. I think those simple rules will go a long way.

Rob: Like you said, this is not the only way. It’s just what you’ve learned from your experiences. I read not too long ago where someone was talking about fine motor skills, or things that are more complicated and how some instructors will dismiss them because the majority of people are not going to be able to handle these things under stress. The majority of people may not be able to, but there are some people that will be able to handle it. There are people that will be able to practice and practice and practice to the point where they can handle something that’s more complicated. We aren’t saying that these more sophisticated techniques, won’t work for you, but for the majority of people they’re not the best. Find what works for you. Dave, thanks again for taking the time. I really appreciate it.

Dave Spaulding was awarded the 2010 Law Officer Trainer of the Year Award. He is a 30+ year Law Enforcement & Federal Security Contractor veteran. Dave was a founding member of his Agency’s SWAT Team and performed hundreds of forced entries. He spent 12 years as its training officer. Dave spent five years as a full time use-of-force instructor, and another five years as the commander of a multi-jurisdictional drug task force working major narcotics cases from Seattle to Miami. He has worked in corrections, communications, patrol, evidence collection, investigations, undercover operations, training, and SWAT–and has authored more than 1,000 articles for various firearms and law enforcement periodicals. He’s also the author of the best-selling books Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives.(handguncombatives.com)

Rob Robideau runs the Personal Armament Network which produces the Personal Armament Podcast. The Personal Armament Network creates informative and entertaining articles and web shows for people who want to be prepared every day. He also put together the “Practical Guide To Everday Carry Gear“, a compilation of 11 interviews(150 pages) filled with practical advice from experts like Dave Spaulding, Michael Janich, and Massad Ayoob that will help you end up with the right gear the first time.

It seems I’m always on the lookout for new flashlights and lighting systems. I’ve been working on our evening shift for the last eight years and having a good flashlight is a must. Looking back at my time in the Army I often wonder how I got by with the issued “GI” flashlight. That thing was terrible!

Fast forward to today and I’ve been very happy with my Stinger DS LED as a duty light (the low light feature is great to have), but the issue I’ve always had is how to compliment a powerful duty light with a true low light option. The definition of true low light to me is a colored light with low output. Something that won’t kill your night vision but has enough juice to be workable.

For the longest time I was using a Stylus pen light and this was an OK option. I know a bunch of guys at work use those key fob type lights or carry a separate small flashlight. While all decent options, since being introduced to Princeton Tec at SOFIC last year I’ve found a great alternative.

MPLS Series

The MPLS Stick and Switch series of lights offer numerous mounting options and the Switch gives you white and colored light in one package. Both series’ offer low and high light-output which is a great feature. With LED technology rapidly advancing, some of the small LED lights are just too bright for tactical use.

Having a flexible “boom” lets you get the light just were you need it and gives you the ability to quickly make adjustments. The boom is very flexible and so far I have not been able to kink or damage it during normal use.

The unique mounting system is true genius and gives you a way to mount your light to just about anything. Helmets, hats, MOLLE, picatinny rails and with a quick twist it lets you go between them all. We will get into ways you can tweak those mounts to give you other DIY options, but lets fist dig into the features of the Switch lights.

Features

The first generation are called the Point – MPLS. It has one LED with two lighting levels. I really like that the light starts out in the low output mode. This shows the thought that went into designing the lights for tactical use. The large function button lets you turn it on, switch between modes and turn it off again. This is easy to do with gloves on as well. The button is recessed and keeps it from accidentally being turned it on.

The Switch – MPLS gives you two LED lights (white and colored options including IR) by using a dual light head yet maintaining a small size. It retains the two-colored light mode options, yet when holding down the button it switches to white light (10 lumens).

Both MPLS series offer the following:

Three colored case options: Black, olive drab, and tan

Flexible “booms” to quickly adjust the light to the task at hand

Powered by two 2016 lithium coin cell batteries which are easy to source

Weigh in at 17 grams (this helps when mounted to something like a hat)

Ultra bright LED technology with a smooth wide beam in all colors (including IR)

Multiple LED output modes

Waterproof at “Level 1” which means they are resistant to splashing and quick dunks

Accessory mounting kits for helmet and Picatinny rails.

DIY Options

Being as flexible as these lights are I’ve found a few ways to expand your options. Lets go back to my quest to find a good low light companion to my duty flashlight.

As mentioned I used to carry a pen light which was alright, but I never did like pen length. If I tried to keep it in the pen pocket of my uniform it seemed to sick out too far (of course this would depend on the type of uniform shirt). It also never fit right with a pen or handcuff key and ended up riding shotgun on the passenger seat. It also gave me issues in a few of my admin pouches.

I started carrying an MPLS – Stick in my shirt pocket which worked out pretty well. The flexible neck meant I could bend it to fit it in my shirt pocket and the light weight didn’t sag the pocket at all (an issue if you are in a Class-A type uniform and want to look sharp). The only problem I had was that the two mounting tabs would poke out occasionally if the light went into the pocket with the tabs facing out.

Pocket Carry

I liked carrying the MPLS – Stick in my pocket and since I wasn’t concerned about mounting this particular light on anything else I simply cut down the mounting tabs. I used a Dremel Tool to cut the two tabs and then cut the material off the battery cover. This streamlined the width without damaging the case or cover. I added a piece of skateboard grip tape to the battery cover to help hold the light in place. You’ve got to love grip tape!

I now have a small dual output low light option that fits in my shirt pocket. For you LEO and Military guys/gals this is a awesome tool. Unlike a pen light or key fob light, the Stick’s flexible “boom” lets me search in places I was never able to before. Need to look into a vehicle’s a/c vent, between a seat rail, or air cleaner box under the hood? Just stick the light in there and take a peek.

Magnet Mount

The MPLS lights are also great for those situations where you need low light when working on your vehicle or other project. I’m in and out of the trunk of my cruiser at night and there are situations where you don’t want to illuminate the entire trunk via a duty light. I’ve even found my self under the hood of my cruiser in a tactical situation (don’t ask). If you are out hunting, doing night photography, fishing, or other o’dark hundred activity that requires hands free low light, this might be a nice option.

A great DIY tweak is to add a earth magnet to one of the MPLS mounts. This modification allowed me to keep a primary MPLS – Switch on my gear but able to take it off and mount it in a way to work hands free in the trunk. Between the flexible boom and magnet mount you can get light exactly where you want it.

To make it work, I took one of the MOLLE adapters and removed the metal clip. I then drilled out a hole in the mount to fit the magnet’s diameter and used Loctite “super glue” to secure it. I now have a magnet mount for hands-free, low-light fun.

I don’t know that I would store the light in this mount as I have no idea if the magnet will effect the batteries or circuitry over an extended period of time. Do this all at your own risk.

Belt keeper mount

If you don’t want to cut the mounting tabs off your light but want to keep it handy when in uniform, then making a belt keeper mount might be the ticket.

For this modification I took one of the helmet rail mounts and cut off the little arm on the back. I used the Dremel to cut off the two “ears” to make a flat surface. Then I poked a hole in a nylon belt keeper and used a large headed screw to secure it to the factory hole in the mount. Since there’s only one screw holding the mount to the keeper, it will want to twist on you. I used red Loctite to make sure it wouldn’t go anywhere.

Now I can secure the mount to my duty belt and have the MPLS at the ready. If you have it on the front of your belt you can use it hands free (although it will be a little low).

Cut your own slots

One of the cool things about the MPLS mounting system is you can cut your own slots for a true DIY setup. To do this you will need the plastic clip mount which is used for attaching a MPLS to a hat or other type of equipment. You need this to trace the cutout pattern so you can transfer that over to your working medium.

I used two types of medium for my tests. The first is a sheet of .030″ Styrene and the second is a piece of .093″ Kydex. I wanted to see how the different thicknesses of the material would effect the mounting of the lights.

Using the original clip I traced the pattern onto a thin piece of cardboard and then used a hobby knife to cut out the notches and middle hole. I then transferred that onto both mediums.

For the Styrene sheet I was able to use the hobby knife to make the notches and center hole. Once they were out the MPLS is fitted and turns into place. I was pleased to find the MPLS mounting tabs held on and it was very secure.

The .093 Kydex was more of a challenge as I had to use the Dremel with a small round bit to make the cuts. I have to admit I didn’t take much time working on the cuts and they were not very precise. I also had to thin out the are where the MPLS tabs turned to snap into place. I was able to get the MPLS to mount without thinning it out but it was super tight and probably pushing the limits of the stock mounting tabs. I would say .093 is the thickest material that would work for this DIY option. The great thing is you could use any medium, from Kydex to sheet metal.

I wanted to include this DIY option just to show the mounting diversity of the lights. You could in theory make our own mounting accessories.

Remix Pro MPLS

The next light we’ll look at is the Remix Pro MPLS. The Pro version is targeted toward tactical use and Princeton Tec has really done their homework. While the military and LEO market will benefit from all the great features, I would still recommend it over the standard Remix for hiking, camping, or other activities. The LED color options and lock out feature is much better than the standard version.

The Pro has seven lighting combinations and comes in a tan or black case. The tan now comes with a MultiCam head strap too. The Pro features one MaxBright LED bulb and three Ultrabright LED bulbs (for the color or IR option). The MaxBright checks in at 70 lumens which is plenty bright for this type of light. The colored LED’s have two brightness options and like the MPLS lights, it starts on the low level.

The addition of regulating circuits allow the lights to maintain peak brightness up until the battery is ready to die. This is a great feature and since it uses a CR123 battery you should have no issues keeping it fresh.

The head of the light is adjustable and unlike the first Remix it folds up protecting the lens and hides the function button. This is great as you can’t accidentally turn it on and nicely mounts on a vest via MOLLE.

Speaking of mounting options, the Pro comes with three main options. The first is the headband which is great for those who are into sports or events like GORUCK, Bryan used one during the GORUCK Ascent. The Pro only weighs in at 66 grams so wearing it with the headband is no problem.

The mounting plate from the headband detaches and can be used on MOLLE webbing. I keep this mount on my plate carrier and I’m able to switch the light from my helmet to the carrier.

The helmet mount fits in the standard NVG mount or a VAS Shroud. It pops in and out like the PVS-7 and PVS-14 mounting arm. In my case I normally keep the Pro mounted on my helmet and the MOLLE plate on my plate carrier. If I need to run NVG’s I just pop it off and mount it to my vest.

MaxBright and Ultra bright LED technology with a smooth wide beam in all colors (including IR)

Multiple LED output modes. Lo-Hi colored and Lo-Hi white light

Waterproof at “Level 1” and is resistant to splashing and quick dunks

Accessory mounting kits for NVG slots and MOLLE.

Closing Notes

I’ve been using the Stick, Switch, and Remix Pro extensively for the last year. I’ve had zero issues with any of the lights and the quality and workmanship is top notch.

The Stick that I modified for my pocket has been running strong and holding up great. The flexible “boom” is tough as hell, as I’ve gotten it stuck when searching vehicles. I thought for sure I would pop the LED head off a few times trying to fish it back out of tight spaces, but it keeps on going.

The Pro has been mounted to my helmet and survived life in the trunk of my cruiser which anyone in law enforcement will tell you is a harsh environment. My cruiser was rear ended a few months ago and the trunk completely smashed in. My helmet and gear took a beating but the Pro was unscathed and fired right up.

Make sure to head over to the Princeton Tec Website to check out all the other lighting systems they offer.

If you have any questions about the DIY projects or any other thoughts please let us know in the comments below. We also have more photos on our Flickr Account with photos of other mounting options which you’ll see below in the thumbnails.

Like computers and other electronic technology, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have advanced over the past few years. I won’t attempt to explain how or why LEDs have advanced, as I’m not a electronics guy and couldn’t explain wavelengths, semiconductors, quantum wells, resistor calculations, radiant flux or any other jargon.

What I do know is the LEDs that were on my Commodore 64 were dim and everything these days is super bright. For me personally it’s just like shooting; I don’t need to know how much my bullets weigh or how many feet per second they’re flying. I just need to know how to pull the trigger and get rounds on target.

There are some people, like precision shooters and snipers, who need to know that technical bullet information. If you really want to learn about LEDs I would recommend Don’s Homepage or The LED Museum for detailed explanations on LED lighting.

Their flashlights also use the latest LED and digital power management systems. It’s no surprise, as the company was founded by two police officers who were looking for better lighting during police work.

Specs

The APALS was designed primarily for the military as a low cost disposable combat marking system. They use the newest LED technology to produce a compact lightweight marker that has a advertised run time of 35 hours. As you will see in the video below, the green APALS I tested far exceeded that run time.

The light, battery and circuits are sealed in a water and dust proof package that uses a 3M adhesive strip on the back. This allows the light to be affixed to just about anything, even when wet or underwater. One of the APALS I tested in my pool went over 300 hours attached to a smooth plastic container. I also attached one to the inside of a glass jar filled with salt water (from the ocean). It stuck to the glass with no problem and lasted the duration of the test.

There are three separate flash patterns to choose from. They go from a fast flash, to slow flash, to constant on. The selection button has a raised edge for a tactile feel in the dark and the color of the LED is marked on the front, for easy identification.

APALS comes in five colors; green, amber, blue, red, white and are available in IR for law enforcement and military. The colored models have a silver reflective strip on the front which aides in light distribution and identification. On the IR model the strip is blacked out for night operations.

Here are the APALS specs from Brite-Strike:

– Can be seen from up to 1/4 mile
– Runtime up to 35 hours (in our test the green went for 323 hours on the slow flash setting)
– Modes: On / Fast Strobe / Slow Strobe / Off
– Heavy Duty Adhesive Back holds tight to any surface wet or dry

Possible Uses

As stated the main design behind the APALS is for identification in low light or no light. Having spent many long hours in the dark while in the Army and as a Deputy, I can say identifying your buddies at night can be tough.

The APALS can be setup in numerous ways because of the flexibility in mounting and color options. Teams/squads could be issued certain colors (or color combos) so leaders could quickly see who is who. This would have been great in training as you could direct your troops accordingly.

While the military has it pretty good with the use of NVGs, law enforcement (generally) doesn’t have this availability. The APALS could be used the same way for leaders to identify and control their members in training.

While the APALS are pretty bright and light discipline is a big concern I’ll show you one way you can control the light output in the video portion of this article below.

Low light identification applies to not only your friends but to your gear also. Anyone who has been in the field or deployment knows the fun of finding your gear in the back of a Deuce (OK I’m dating myself here) in the dark. How about that blacked out C-130 or Chinook? It gets pretty dark back there and you can’t rely on the crew chief to police up your gear.

As you’ll see in the video, the APALS has plenty of power to shine through most materials allowing you to throw one in your bag. If you’re not worried about light discipline you could mount it to the outside of your gear too.

If you need to mark items, doors, gates, vehicles, or anything else, these lights are built to perform. I was really impressed with the 3M tape being able to stick while fully submerged in saltwater. The APALS I have in my pool is still attached to a smooth plastic container and that was affixed on 5/24/2011.

If you hunt, fish, boat, kayak, paddle board or camp these make great lights as well. Since they’re small and lightweight you can store them just about anywhere as emergency backup lighting. Throw a few in your off-road vehicle, ATV, or side by side. The uses are almost endless and since they’re disposable, you wont get heartburn if you loose it over the side or in the woods.

My Uses So Far

It seems I’m always on the lookout for new “tactical” low-light flashlights and lighting ideas. With the LED technology getting better everyday there are a lot of new products on the market. The vast majority of them are in the form of a flashlight or penlight which is the standard when you think of lighting. The prices range from the mid-twenties to well over eighty dollars.

What makes the APALS so versatile is the fact that it’s not shaped like a flashlight. It’s flat and the LED is positioned on a flat surface. I’ve been using one in my shirt pocket and turning it on to view my notepad by holding it near the pocket. Being able to do this will of course be based on the material of your shirt. I’ve also got one on my plate carrier for close in lighting. I simply used the 3M backing to attach a piece of hook and loop to it. This would be similar to using a MOLLE-mounted Princeton Tec MPLS (which I really dig also).

I also keep one in my pocket and use it when doing vehicle surveillance in plain clothes. It’s much easier to keep my shorts pocket than a penlight and I can cup it in my hand using my fingers to regulate the amount of light I need.

While the light patten on the APALS isn’t a focused beam like a flashlight, it does provide plenty of up close lighting for low-light operations.

Video and Photos

As I’ve described, the APALS has more uses other than a combat identifier. They are light, small, waterproof, and affordable. What more could you ask for in a tactical light? Check out our YouTube video below to see the many uses of these versatile lights and make sure to keep checking the Brite-Strike website for new forward thinking products.

While at the 2010 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, we had the opportunity to chat with the President of Adventure Lights, Tim Ford.

For those of you who don’t know about Adventure Lights, they make palm-sized multifunction LED Lights that are used for flashlights, markers and visual distress beacons.

An issue with Adventure Lights has always been having to secure their VIP Signal Lights with a means other than the pocket clip on the back side of the body. Typically this is done with Rigger’s Rubber Bands or 550 Paracord.

We addressed this issue with Tim at the SHOT Show, and he showed us how the new lights are being manufactured to mitigate this issue.

To quickly fix the pocket clip, a simple bend of the looped portion of the clip is all that needs to be done. Using a flat-head screwdriver, simple bend the clip to create a hook.

This hook will then catch on MOLLE webbing and add extra security for the VIP Signal Light. In addition to all newly manufactured models coming with a bent hook, a properly sized zip tie will also be included.

If you look just above the rotary switch underneath the battery compartment, there are two small holes used to mount the light. Those holes are much smaller than the average zip tie, and even if one is found to fit, they’re typically not long enough to wrap all the way around your gear.

Gutted 550 Paracord is always an option, but even that becomes difficult to get through the holes, and is hard to secure tightly around gear.

Tim is a guy that loves feedback on his product, and it’s great to find that in a company. We’ll hopefully be highlighting some little known uses of VIP signal lights here soon on ITS, so stay tuned!

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Why You Need This

Fundamentally, the purpose of intelligence units is to know and understand the “red” systems and capabilities that counter our own, the “blue” force. Intelligence professionals understand threats. They do this through the intelligence cycle and by analyzing information that then becomes intelligence (see Part 1 and Part 2 of this series).
The same holds true for your daily lives and is performed to one extent or another whether you realize it or not. Who or what motivated you to take up shooting and to learn the latest home firearm safety and self defense techniques? Why did you feel compelled to master the medical skills that could one day be used to save someone's life, including a family member's or your own? How did you anticipate possibly needing the survival kit or bug-out-bag you keep stowed away in your trunk or closet for certain emergencies? And the answer to all of these questions is — because you deemed it was necessary.

“If I always appear prepared, it is because before entering on an undertaking, I have meditated for long and foreseen what may occur.” - Napoleon Bonaparte, 1831

At one point or another, you had access to information that shaped your understanding of the operating environment that you live in, whether that be a natural disaster, personal experience, story, or general knowledge learned from a person or group of like-minded interests. You were educated about a threat that you could face — a “red” capability — and determined a need to counter that threat. This is the point that you need to make intelligence work for you.

Steps to Applying Intelligence

The scenarios are endless, but let's say you've just moved to a new city where you've got no friends, extended family, or connections. It's just you, your family and your belongings. After the initial move-in, you begin settling in and establishing a more permanent presence. Your house is relatively secure with locking doors, a basic security system and small chain link fence, but past that it's fair game to guess what may or may not occur in regards to security, safety and freedom of movement. You're not a gambling man, so you'd like to have the peace of mind knowing that you and your family can sleep easy at night, leaving nothing to assumption or fate. Here is a prime opportunity to employ some analysis and intelligence-gathering skills to your distinct advantage.

1. Identify Your Environment

You first must define your operating environment — a fancy term that just means your immediate situation and the various areas that comprise your daily routines and interactions. This could be your backyard, your neighbors, your street, the entire neighborhood and all the way out to your community and city. Where do you spend the majority of your time? What areas do you travel through, visit frequently, or work in most often? What information about these areas is available?
The objective here is to identify the major areas you interact with, in order to refine your analysis and focus later. Take into account any characteristics in your area that could affect the way you interact with the environment. By defining your operating environment, a geographical boundary is established; this boundary sets the stage for the next steps, when an analysis of how the environment affects you is conducted.
Characteristics to Consider:

Geography

Terrain

Weather

Ethnic, religious, income, & age groups

Political and socio-economic factors

Transportation systems and other infrastructures

2. Explore Your Environment and Its Effects

Next you must determine how the various characteristics of the operating environment affect you and your family. Identify any limitations or opportunities that your new home, neighborhood and city offer. Where is the local police station? What's the neighborhood like? Is it a safe area or does it offer freedom of movement to criminals and other nefarious activity? Where are the bad parts of the city and do you travel through them or work in them at all?
The key here is to identify and explore any factors that could have an affect on you and your family in the neighborhood, city, etc. Research the characteristics you just identified in Step 1 to determine their affect on you. Is there any correlation to certain weather that usually leads to an uptick in crime in certain neighborhoods (i.e. the summer months when everyone's outside)? Is there an imbalance in income distribution that creates a more targetable area for concentrated crime? Is the public transportation safe and reliable and can you use it in the event of car failure or an emergency?
Depending on your attention to detail, desire for situational awareness and resources, this step can be as brief or in-depth as you see fit. At the tactical level, there are even methods that can be applied to perform this analysis on various locations you deem appropriate, i.e. your house or place of work.
Terrain Analysis Aspects (military):

3. Understand the Threat Environment

Once you have defined your primary area of operation — i.e. the areas that most frequently define where you live, work and travel — you must identify any threats in those areas. What type of threats exists, what are the activity levels and in which areas are threats prevalent? Is it organized crime? Violent crime? Narcotics? This is the step in which you identify what threats exist and which ones are the most critical to your daily life and that of your family.

Know Your Enemy, Know Yourself

In Sun Tzu's The Art of War, there is a major emphasis on understanding as much as possible about one's enemy. The old phrase “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” represents this relationship perfectly. It is up to you to understand your enemy — the threats local to your environment and situation — in order to best counter them and properly apply your skills effectively.
There are many tools available to you that can be used to gauge and understand the threats to you, your loved ones, or community; chief among these tools is the power of information and the easy access to it (which is most easily found through the Internet*). There is no cut and dry method for preparing yourself for any and every emergency, life-threatening situation, or traumatic experience; there is also not enough time in the world to allow you the benefit of mastering all of the skills needed to successfully defeat these situations. But you can attempt to predict what skills are most likely to be useful to you in the context and perspective of your daily lives.
Information-gathering resources:

Once you've gathered as much research as applicable, outline the various threats in your area, how they operate (their tactics, techniques and procedures), who the major players are and whether or not they are actually a threat*** to you. A few baseline items to consider are listed below.
Analyzing a Threat:

4. Anticipate the Threats

Finally, you must determine the possibility, plausibility and actuality of becoming a victim or attempted victim of any of the threats in your area. In short, analyze available information to predict what your enemy will do next. Use historical trends, interaction with local law enforcement, or personal research online to try and identify how your enemy (in this case, we'll assume violent crime) will act. Have they only robbed banks in the past? Have they targeted innocent bystanders or targets of opportunity? What is their capability and intent? Based on whatever information is available, analyze it to determine possible courses of action they could take and act accordingly to counter it (developing your tactical skills).
Factors to Consider When Analyzing Threats:

Threat's desired end state (total area control, a blind eye from local LE, etc.)

If analyzing a threat, be sure to identify the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How factors in order to produce the most specific prediction of what the enemy will do next. This will in turn provide you with the most specific way to defeat the threat successfully.

Safety and Security: Mitigating Threats

It is through these four basic steps that you can make intelligence work for you. The four steps are by no means all-inclusive and only scrape the surface of the level of detail that goes into ensuring that you are as prepared as possible to counter threats in your operating environment. This analysis can be performed in any capacity and in any situation where you'd like to have a better understanding of an area and its dynamics.

“When I took a decision or adopted an alternative, it was after studying every relevant–and many an irrelevant–factor. Geography, tribal structure, religion, social customs, language, appetites, standards–all were at my finger-ends. The enemy I knew almost like my own side.” - T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), 1933

Treat analysis and intelligence as a skill set that can be used to better understand the threats you're trying to counter. As stated above, the majority of this is already being done whether you realize it or not. The key is to employ it in any situation, allowing you to systematically identify the steps that you need to take to best employ and ensure the security, safety and well being of yourself and those around you. You can't properly counter or defeat a threat if you don't understand it. Don't underestimate the power of information. Make intelligence work for you.
*The Internet is a great source of what is referred to as open-source information, information that is unclassified and publicly available. Open-source information often provides a vector of research from which more specific analysis and collection can be conducted.
**The new Google Maps is an amazing open source tool with a remarkable set of capabilities for conducting a ‘map reconnaissance'
***Capability + Intent = Threat
The quotes and general 4 steps are structured loosely on the main steps covered in this Army publication, FM 34-130, circa 1994: [pdf]]]>